The Omaha Soaring Club’s annual meeting was held on December 10 at the Millard branch of the Omaha Public Library. 14 members were present. 4 members cast absentee votes for the Board of Directors.
The proposed slate for the 2023 Board of Directors was presented for consideration. No new nominations were made. The slate was approved unanimously.
The 2023 Board of Directors will be:
President: Bud S
Vice President: Bob A
Treasurer: Jeff F
Secretary: David L
Flight Officer: Tom S
Maintenance Officer: Bob D
Jeff led a presentation of the club’s 2022 successes:
- Five members completed glider pilot checkrides.
- Four members completed glider first solo flights.
- We had more flight operations in 2022 than in the past 7 years.
- We have obtained use of a Schweizer 2-22 as a second 2-seat glider.
- We have extended our lease for use of the ‘glider grass’ at the Blair airport for 5 more years at favorable terms.
- We have remodeled space at the Blair airport for use as an OSC clubhouse.
- We completed a significant cleanup of our hanger space and ground equipment.
- We have created, and sold, 40 club logo t-shirts.
- We have obtained tax-exempt status with the IRS.
A discussion was held of the major issues anticipated in 2023:
Finances:
Jeff reviewed our overall financial status. 2022 was a very good year for OSC flight operations, which resulted in good revenue for the club. Our financial condition entering 2023 is solid.
Pawnee: Bob D. reported that the Pawnee is currently in its annual inspection and has several general maintenance needs. Its skin fabric is the greatest foreseeable need; the skin life is in question, with estimates ranging from 3 to10 years. Bill has agreed to make some patch repairs which should extend the skin’s life, and then a better estimate of its lifespan can be made.
Size and focus of club: We currently have 35 total members. This is consistent with a recent historical range of 25-35 for the past many years. There was discussion of comparisons of our club to the much larger club at Hutchinson, Kansas that several are familiar with. While we are in a similar market size to Wichita, that club appears to have resources that most clubs, including ours, do not have. The general consensus was that our emphasis is best placed on being a more active club, not necessarily a bigger club.
Best glider fleet for our size and focus: There was discussion of the merits of adding a single-seat seat, higher performance glider to replace the L-33. A Schweizer 1-26 may be available to us under similar terms to the 2-22. A PW-5 is also potentially available for our purchase. The general consensus was that a higher performance glider would be a benefit to the club.
Contemplation of PW-5 purchase: The PW-5 is potentially a good fit for our needs. A price of $12-15k is expected. The glider is not currently airworthy, and a schedule for its repair and the resulting price will need to determined. There was discussion of the pros and cons of the PW-5, and the open questions about its fit for our needs. We will investigate the PW-5’s requirements for parachute use with our insurance provider, and further investigate its use by other clubs. In discussion of how best to proceed, a motion was made to have the Board of Directors investigate open questions and report back to the club with a recommendation. This was approved unanimously.
Also:
- A planned taxiway extension at the Blair airport may impact our operations. We need to stay aware and in contact with the airport authority.
- We need to refresh our relationship with Omaha TRACON. Providing an update briefing on our operations will be beneficial.
- A reminder was made of needs for member help with ground equipment maintenance. Mark is leading an effort to make some needed maintenance on the four-wheeler.
Meeting adjourned.
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